Charade (1963 Film) [Import, Soundtrack]

Henry Mancini | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 7, 1999)
• Original Release Date: December 5, 1963
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Soundtrack
• Label: Bmg Japan
• ASIN: B0000071UY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #913,171 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Charade (Main Title)

2. Bistro

3. Bateau Mouche

4. Megeve

5. Bye Bye Charlie

6. The Happy Carousel

7. Charade [Vocal Version]

8. Orange Tamoure

9. Latin Snowfall

10. The Drip-Dry Waltz

11. Mambo Parisienne

12. Punch and Judy

13. Charade (Carousel) [From Carousel]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mancini's best., November 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Charade (1963 Film) (Audio CD)

If you've seen the movie you don't have to be convinced that this is one of the most effective soundtracks ever produced. What you may not realize is how strong these pieces are individually. Often without the visuals and storyline of the film soundtracks can be a little mundane. They are written to compliment the movie not take it over. Charade is one of the strongest movies ever made. The cast, director, writers and crew all were at peak when this film was done. So was Mancini. The pounding and complex title theme is a brilliant intro to the plot twists that will baffle all first time viewers.The same song played later and softer with the beautiful lyrics barely touching our conciousness, is proof of how versatile the piece is as Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn fall in love in Paris to the same tune that a short while ago was signalling menace and danger.And maybe it still is signalling caution to Audrey. Does she really know any thing about this handsome stranger? Watch the film and find out! So many other works on this album are so affecting and effective. If you need a romantic piece for candlelight dinner try "Bateau Mouche" and the vocal rendition of the theme. You'll get points for romance every time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite soundtracks of all time, May 3, 2006

By 

Mark Welsh "Eternal Fishoutawater" (Mayberry, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charade (Audio CD)

My mother bought the album shortly after the movie debuted in winter of 1963 and our entire family fell in love with it immediately. Being only eight when the movie was released, I did not see it until the early 1970's and was not disappointed. Like a prior reviewer, I do agree that "The Drip-Dry Waltz" and its accompanying sequence were a low-point in an otherwise stellar and entertaining movie and soundtrack. I'm not too fond of "Goodbye, Charlie", either.

My favorites are the three versions of the title track, the best being the instrumental played over the opening credits. Also the beautiful "Latin Snowfall", the romantic "Bateau Mouche", the energetic "Orange Tamoure" and the joyful "Bistro". The soundtrack and the movie are a snapshot of more innocent times, which were shattered by the assassination of JFK by the time the film was released. This was Cary Grant's swan song as leading man, this last time to the beautiful Audrey Hepburn, and this film was a true last gasp of the romance and sophistication of old Paris, and the death of a pre-Beatlemania world where cultural standards were still set by adults. The soundtrack is a fitting tribute to this world, soon to vanish, and stands on its own as not only a great soundtrack, but one of the final great mood music albums.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent, February 21, 2010

By 

Bill Your 'Free Form FM Handi Cyber Print DJ ... (Mahwah, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Charade (Audio CD)

Of the great 1960s film composers, Lalo Shifrin, Jerry Goldsmith, Quincy Jones, a stack of others, Henry Mancini may have been the most well rounded. He was actually retro: a lot of his work is based on tangos, waltzes, and orchestral music/

But Mancini had a gift of making music square in lesser hands swing, and on Cherade, this is starkly and delightfully highlighted.

Cherade was a light thriller--basically a more comic Wait Until Dark where Audry Hepburn can see and is being chased by themes. For the score, Mancini uses a lot of tango, and some orchestral tracks.

But even in 2010, this music never sounds dated. The melodies hold up so well, and the orchestrations are kept so tasteful, this works where a Percy Faith track would date terribly. As jazz and orchestral, will get into your skin with its undenialble Mancini charm